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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes in February climbed to their fastest pace in seven years, as an otherwise dormant housing market showed fresh signs of life. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that new-home sales shot up 7.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 539,000, the strongest performance since February 2008. January sales were revised up nearly 4 percent to a rate of 500,000. Other parts of the housing market have struggled since 2015 got off to a frigid start, despite historically low mortgage rates and a sharp, yearlong upswing in hiring. The shift upward in purchases of newly built homes may suggest that the job growth is spilling over to...

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes in February climbed to their fastest pace in seven years, as an otherwise dormant housing market showed fresh signs of life.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that new-home sales shot up 7.8 percent last month...

Reeb Millwork Corp. of Fountain Hill cleared a hurdle Thursday in its quest to build a 175,000-square-foot facility in Bethlehem and eventually add up to 150 jobs.The Bethlehem Planning Commission unanimously approved a land development plan for Reeb's...

I had better start with this disclaimer: I am not a professional sports fan. Not at all. Or a college sports fan.
I tell you that because I want to venture into that cultural vortex where faith, football and taxes converge. I don't claim to be an...

The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust has unloaded its 50 percent interest in the Whitehall Mall.
The Philadelphia-based real estate investment firm began selling non-core properties in 2012 to fund upgrades to its top performing malls, and has...

Enrollment in the East Penn School District is expected to drop by 700 students by 2024 — the equivalent of the student population at Shoemaker Elementary School.Those were the findings of a study presented to the district's school board Monday...

Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that strong hiring should continue despite signs of slower economic growth at the start of 2015. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for jobless aid fell 9,000 to a...

When Dale and Christi Schmidt moved to Baltimore from Columbus, Ohio, in 2013, they knew city living was the only way to go. All of the other details, such as the neighborhood and furniture, would eventually fall into place. .
"We always wanted to...

Slightly more Americans bought homes in February, but tight inventories, affordability problems and nasty winter weather point to sluggish sales in the coming few months. Sales of existing homes rose 1.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted...

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits basically held steady last week, as the job market continues to outpace broader economic growth. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for unemployment aid rose slightly by...

Just as the Federal Reserve seems to be inching toward an interest rate hike because of the strengthening U.S. job market, its task is getting more complicated: Several key sectors of the economy are flashing some signs of weakness.
Housing,...

MINNEAPOLIS Life Time Fitness Inc. announced Monday that it has agreed to be sold for more than $4 billion to private-equity investors with strong retail histories, and that the ownership changeover will not affect the company's growth plans. As part...

Most homeowners are familiar with the hassles that a brutally cold and snowy winter can deliver.
Steve Appel knows them all too well. Four Februarys ago, the co-founder and senior designer of Nouveau Home and Interior Design (now at its new Eager...

A funny thing happened to Lynn Ridgely several years ago when she decided to make a few changes to her two-bedroom condominium in a Towson high-rise.
It began with a mattress and snowballed from there.
"I bought a new mattress and decided to change...

One would never think that Jeanie Libutti considers her Victorian-style home in North Baltimore a downsize. With stone steps leading up to a wraparound porch supported by seven columns, it is easy to imagine the elegance — and space — within.
But size is...

After renting a unit in the Harborview community for four years, Bryan Lucas was determined to take his time finding the perfect house in Baltimore to make his own.
"I looked at 30 to 40 places around Canton and Fells Point," he said....

Smack in the middle of an Ellicott City housing development is a surprise. A sign at the head of a long driveway signals what lies ahead: "Burleigh Circa 1810."
Two rows of tall trees stand along the drive that bisects a large chunk of gently...

June 20, 2013, is a date Sara Costello is not likely to forget. On that day, a fire started in the basement of her Butchers Hill rowhouse. The flames traveled quickly up two more stories, cutting a path through the center part of the 15-by-40-foot...

Gary and Rebecca Perlow did not set out to buy a condo at the Ritz-Carlton Residences off Key Highway in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area. After all, they lived right down the street in the Townes at HarborView.
"We were empty-nesters and had a...

Matt Nickasch's home is anything but typical — he lives in the tower of a repurposed grain silo in Locust Point. His condo on the 18th floor is marked as a "bin" instead of a unit, a nod to industrial days long gone.
"I've always been a...

It is not uncommon for people's taste in housing and lifestyle to change over the years. Cindi and Chad Seitz, however, took it to the extreme.
In 2009, they exchanged bustling city life in a three-story brick rowhouse for the peace and quiet of 2...